Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church,
located at 905 Yadkin Street in Kingsport, Tennessee, would
like to invite you to listen to a message of sovereign grace
by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. And now, Pastor Gabe Stoniker. I would like to invite your attention
to the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament, a very small book
in the Old Testament. Habakkuk chapter 2 is where our
text will be today. In the end of verse 4, Habakkuk
2 verse 4, the end of that verse says, the just shall live by
his faith. The just shall live by his faith. The just, those who have been
made just, justified, shall live out the rest of their days on
this earth by faith. Now that line is in the word
of God four times that particular line, the just shall live by
faith that is in God's word four times right here in Habakkuk
chapter two. It's in Romans chapter one, verse
17. It's in Galatians chapter three,
verse 11. And it's in Hebrews chapter 10
verse 38. Through those verses, through
all four of those verses, this is what I'd like for us to find
out. Who are the just talking about those who have been made
just before God? Who are the just? And what is
true faith? Who are the just and what is
true faith? The just shall live by faith. What does true faith believe?
Who are the just and what is true faith? Well, we can answer
the first part of that right now. Who are the just? The just shall live by faith. The just shall live by his faith. The justified are those who God
gives faith to. The just are justified by God-given
faith. That's the evidence that a sinner
is justified before God. God gives true faith to that
sinner. Just listen to Romans chapter
three, verse 28. It says, therefore, we conclude
that a man is justified by faith. without the deeds of the law. Without doing any of the deeds
that God has given in his law, man is justified before God by
faith. Listen to Romans 5 verse one. Therefore, being justified by
faith. We have peace with God. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, justified by faith. There are two types
of people on this earth. The just. And the unjust. That's what this scripture declares,
the righteous and the wicked. The saved and the unsaved, that's
what it means, the saved and the unsaved. The unsaved do not
possess true faith. The unsaved do not possess true
faith. Now they have a faith in something.
Everybody has a faith in something, but they do not possess the faith. The one true God-given faith. They do not believe what true
faith believes. So that's how we can tell who
the just are. They believe what true faith believes. All right,
that brings us to the second question. What does true faith
believe? What does it believe, what is
true faith in? What is true faith looking to? Well, let's begin with some scripture
references. I have a center margin in my
Bible. You may have a center margin.
Some do and some don't. And sometimes in the center margin,
different scripture references are listed. So if yours are different
from mine, that's fine. But in this center margin for
Habakkuk 2 verse 4, I have a reference to John 3 verse 36. So turn with
me over there to John chapter 3 and let's read verse 36 together. It says, he that believeth on
the sun, hath everlasting life. And he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. He that believeth on the Son
hath life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God abides on him. Faith is a belief that God
puts in a sinner. A particular belief. It is a strong, strong conviction. A strong belief. All people have
strong convictions. About something all people do,
people have their own beliefs concerning everything. But just
because I have a strong belief. About something that does not
mean I've been given true faith. True saving faith. There is only
one true faith. Only one. It is a very particular
belief. He that believeth on the sun. Have everlasting life. And he
that believeth not the sun. shall not see life, but the wrath
of God abides on him." It comes down to something that is that
singular, that singular. Now, if you have a center margin,
you may notice that that verse of scripture leads us back to
Habakkuk 2.4, where we just came from. Those two verses go hand
in hand. It also sends us to John chapter
one, verse 12. If you look with me at John one
verse 12 says, but as many as received him to them, gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name, him, his name. That's where the emphasis of
faith belongs. True saving faith. And the other
reference was John six. If you look with me at John chapter
six, verse 40, it says, this is the will of him that sent
me that everyone which seeth the sun and believeth on him
may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last
day. seeth the Son, believeth on him,
hath everlasting life. Verse 47 here in John 6, it says,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me. That's Christ speaking, he that
believeth on me. hath everlasting life. So true faith believes on the
Lord Jesus Christ. That's what true faith believes.
It believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's a question
we need to ask. What does that mean? What does
that mean? We stand up and we tell people. We say believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Believe on Christ. We can say that we can tell people
that until we're blue in the face, but. If we do not understand
what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, how can we
do it? We can say there is one thing
needful. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
We can hear that. We can understand that. OK, there's
one thing needful. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
But if we do not understand what it means to believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, how can we truly do it? How can we have any assurance
that we truly believe on him if we don't understand what it
means? So what is it to truly believe on him? How can we believe? on him. Most everybody believes
in him. Okay. Here's a difference. Most everyone believes that he
exists in him. Most everyone believes on whatever
they want to believe on, whether they realize it or not, people
believe on something. What is it to believe on Christ
though? What is it to believe on Christ? What does God's true
faith believe? Well, in these four locations.
These four verses of scripture that say the just shall live
by faith, Habakkuk 2, 4, Romans 1, 17, Galatians 3, 11, and Hebrews
10, 38. In those four verses of scripture,
the Lord tells us exactly what his faith that he gives to his
people believes. The Lord spells it out for us
in those four verses of scripture. Ephesians 4 says there is one
faith. There is only one faith. Only
one true faith and he gives this one faith. To every single one
of his people, all of his children received the same faith. They
all believe this one critical thing. What we're about to read
here is a full definition. Of God's faith, what it is to
believe on Christ. Alright, back in Habakkuk Chapter
2. We're going to look at these
four verses. And they all say the just shall live by faith,
but they all say something with that. There is another statement
in each verse. And we're going to look at that
other statement that goes with the just shall live by faith.
And that's going to describe to us what God's true faith believes. Habakkuk 2 verse 4 says, behold,
his soul, which is lifted up is not upright in him, but the
just shall live by his faith. All right. Now, this is where
believing on the Lord Jesus Christ starts. This is the first thing true
faith believes. My soul, which is who I am, who
I am, your soul, my soul, is lifted up and is not upright
within me. It's not upright in me. If a person is going to believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she is going to have to completely
stop believing on himself or herself. That's where we start. If we're going to believe on
him, then we have to completely stop believing on ourselves. We have to have no confidence
in this flesh. True faith believes, I am naturally
so lifted up with pride. That's all man is, is lifted
up with pride. Verse four says, behold his soul,
which is lifted up, just lifted up with self, so arrogant. This flesh is so arrogant, so
prideful, thinking I am something. True faith says, this is what
I know. This is what God has taught me.
I'm nothing. That's what the scripture says.
Thinking he is something when he's nothing. I am nothing. This soul is not right. This
is where believing on Christ starts. I am not right. My heart is not right. I am not naturally right with
God. Jeremiah said the heart is deceitful
above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Who
can know just how desperately wicked it is? I'll tell you who can know something
of it, just a little bit of it. A sinner who has received true
faith. He knows, as the song says. Faults and full of sin, I am
just false. Wrong. Full of sin, I am not
upright in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. That's what the
Apostle Paul said. And if I have to stand before
God based on the deeds of this flesh, if I have to stand before
him based on who I am by nature, who my soul really is, I'm going
to die in my sin. Because this soul which is lifted
up is not upright in me. That's the first thing that true
faith believes. All right, now turn with me to
Romans chapter one. Romans chapter one, this is the
next verse of scripture. And verse 16 tells us that we're
talking about Christ. He's writing about the Lord Jesus
Christ, the gospel of Christ. Romans one verse 17 says, for
there in is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith. I am lifted up, lifted up with
pride, lifted up with sin, lifted up with self. I am not upright. There is no righteousness naturally
in me. But when I see Christ, I see
my righteousness. Therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. When I look within here, I don't
see any righteousness. Not a righteousness that can
stand before him. But when I see Christ, I see
everything I need to rightly stand in the presence of God. I see it in the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. What is the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ? Gospel means good news. What
is the good news of Christ? It's that on the cross of Calvary. He was made to be my sin. All of that wrong I see in myself
when I say this is not right. He was made to be that he took
that from me to himself. The one who knew no sin, the
scripture says, and that's a critical component of the gospel. That's critical to understand.
He was spotless. He had to be. He was perfectly
righteous before God, but God made him to be my sin. So that I could be made his righteousness,
he traded places. True faith believes I am not
upright in myself. But I must have a righteousness
to stand before God. I see that I am not what I need
to be. God demands a righteousness and
I don't have one. But I see it in Christ. I see
Christ to be my only righteousness before God. Therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. And the just live, believing
they live, believing that Christ gave them that righteousness
that just live by faith. All right. Now look with me at
Galatians three. This is the third verse. This is faith's conclusion. This is what faith believes in
conclusion, if the other two things are so. This is what it
is to believe on Christ. Galatians 3 verse 11 says, but
that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. It is evident for the just shall
live by faith. That no man is justified by the
law in the sight of God. That's evident. If nothing in me is upright,
I mean nothing. And my only hope before God is
that Christ would give me his righteousness. If that's my only
hope, then there is nothing that I can do in and of myself to
justify myself. I cannot do anything to justify
myself before God. The just shall live by faith. Justification before God cannot
be earned. That's what true faith believes.
That's what it is to believe on Christ. This this perfection
that I need cannot be earned. Not by the deeds of the law,
not by obeying the law. Man believes if I obey the law,
then God will be happy and I'll be justified and I can live with
him forever. That's not so. There's nothing
upright in me. There's nothing righteous in
here. So there's nothing that I can do to justify myself. Somebody. Is going to say in
response to that, yeah, but the law says if you do this, you'll
live. That's what the law says. Do
this and live. You obey God and you'll live.
That's what the law says. And that's true. That's right.
But here's the question. Have we done it? Have we actually
done it? There was a rich young ruler
who came to our Lord one time and he said, good master, what
things shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And the
Lord said, keep the commandments. He said, which ones? Not realizing
that all the commandments are required. But he said, which
ones? And the Lord said, do not murder.
Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not lie. Honor thy father and thy mother
and love your neighbor as yourself. And that rich young ruler said,
I've kept all those from my youth up. Now. Setting him aside, we'll
we'll let him we'll let God look on his own heart, that rich young
rulers heart. Let's just talk about me and
you. Can we say that we have kept those things? The Lord said,
do not murder. Some can say, well, I've never
done that. Wait a minute. God looks on the heart and he
said, if you've ever gotten angry with anyone, you've committed
murder in the heart. You and I both know that this,
this heart is so full of pride and arrogance that it's constantly
getting angry. He said, don't commit adultery.
Some can say, well, I've never physically done that. Our Lord
said, if you've looked on a woman to lust after her in your heart,
you've committed adultery with her. We have broken every commandment. So we cannot justify ourselves
before God. That's no possibility for any
sinful man. This is what true faith believes.
This is what it is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. It's
to be fully persuaded that no man is justified by the law in
the sight of God. And the reason is because I can't
keep the law. I cannot do it, not in the sight
of God. The just live by faith in the blood of Christ alone.
Now, here's the last verse. Turn with me to Hebrews 10. Verse
38 says, Now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. This is what all four of those
verses say. My soul is lifted up and is not upright within
me. But therein is the righteousness
of God revealed. For by the law is no man justified
in the sight of God. And if any man draws back, from
completely believing on Christ and casting his all on Christ,
having all his hope in Christ's righteousness and blood alone.
If any man says, well, maybe there is something good in me,
maybe I do keep the law. If any man draws back, then God's
soul will have no pleasure in that man. It's Christ alone,
Christ alone, nothing added to Christ, nothing taken from Christ. That's what it is to believe
on him. That's what it is to believe
on Him. That's what every justified person believes. And I pray the
Lord might cause you and I both to believe that. To truly believe
on Christ. Not on ourselves, but on Him
alone. Christ today, Christ tomorrow,
Christ forever. Forever. Now I want to take this
opportunity to invite you to come to our annual sovereign
grace Bible conference. We have a Bible conference where
speakers come and they preach the true word of God to us. We have three men scheduled to
preach this year. Pastor Gene Harmon from Rescue,
California. Pastor Eric Lutter from Springfield,
Missouri. Pastor Marvin Stoniker from Fairmont,
West Virginia. All three of these men preach
the sovereignty of God in choosing who he would save, completely
redeeming all of those souls and calling all of them to himself.
All of these men declare the truth of God as it's written
in the scripture. And this conference is this coming
weekend, September the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd of 2018. Just
in case this program is ever re-aired, I want to make the
dates clear, September the 21st through 23rd, 2018. Each of those
men will speak twice. We'll have two messages Friday
night, September the 21st at 7 o'clock p.m. Two messages Saturday morning
at 10 o'clock a.m. and two messages Sunday morning,
the 23rd at 10 o'clock a.m. There is no charge to attend
this conference. If you at all feel led to come,
if you at all feel like you would enjoy coming, I want to encourage
you to do so. I believe the Lord would make
it a blessing to your heart. Our address will be given here
in just a moment. And if you have any questions,
you can call the church phone number, which is 423-723-8103. And I do pray that the Lord would
cause us to truly gather around his word and worship him. Give
all honor and glory to him. And if you would like to come,
we would love to have you. Till next week, the Lord be with
you. You have been listening to a message by Gabe Stoniker,
pastor of Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. If you would like a copy of this
message, or to hear other messages of sovereign grace, log on to
our website at ksgctn.org. If you would like to come and
worship with us, our service times are Sunday morning Bible
study at 10 o'clock a.m., worship at 1045 a.m., and 6 o'clock p.m.,
Wednesday evening at 730 p.m. Please tune in next week for
another message of God's free and sovereign grace.